When I lived in China, I went shopping with a teammate and
some students for Christmas decorations.
As we went from booth to booth, sorting through the over-glittered
window decorations and artificial Christmas trees, I saw an artificial
wreath. I was struck with an idea, “I
can make an advent wreath!” We always had
an advent wreath at home when I was growing up, and my mom found various
devotionals for us to use during the season.
Once I tracked down some purple candles, the advent wreath helped me to
focus on the season. In the morning
darkness, I would like the candles and be reminded that “the people walking in
darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). That was a particularly dark season of the year for a variety of reasons, and the simple candles gave me hope and peace in the midst of it.
Advent is just one season in the church calendar, the way
that the church tells time. Growing up,
although we did observe Advent, we really only paid attention to some parts of
the church calendar. But as I have lived
with the church calendar longer, it has become an important way for me to order
my life. A Lutheran source says, “People
order time in various ways, often based on the rhythms of nature. The church
organizes time by the church year. It tells the story of God, who is beyond
time, acting in history – above all through the life, death, and resurrection
of Jesus Christ.”
This way that the church organizes time shapes us. It doesn’t happen overnight, but through the
years we are oriented to get the full view of God’s work in the world. Instead of organizing our life by when we get
to take vacation from our work or have to buy lots of gifts, we organize our
life by Jesus life, death, and resurrection.
Instead of being forced to be happy all of the time, we have a variety
of seasons with different timbres. The
church calendar is countercultural. It
continually points us towards Christ and helps us to meditate on his work.
And the church calendar is a good teaching tool. It is simple enough for kids to learn. The colors associated with each season give
us a visual way to engage the story. It
tells God’s story. This past Sunday was
Christ the King (or Reign of Christ) Sunday.
We were reminded that Jesus reigns and that all parts of our life are
under God’s authority. What better
message on a weekend of obsessive consumerism?
This Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, I will remember the
start of the church year. The way God
sent his son to earth. And I will
remember again that the “people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” I am thankful for the church calendar that
helps me to pay attention, to remember, to focus on Christ.
Calendar image copyright © 2011 Michele Quigley, http://www.family-centered.com/living/2011/11/printable-liturgical-calendar/,
accessed 27 November 2012.
Used under a
Creative Commons License.
